Contrarian Micro Textures’ InvariMatte® stainless steel finish highlights the new curved concourse of the Education and Conference Center at Fletcher Allen Health Care, Burlington, VT.
Approximately 60,000 square feet of Contrarian’s InvariMatte® finish was specified for the exterior wall panels of the curved glass and metal concourse as well as some standing seam roof panels.
“This stunning concourse is a beautiful use of glass and metal that not only links the Health Center with its affiliated University but also provides easy access to the outdoor courtyard and campus’ walking paths,” explains Jim Halliday, President, Contrarian Metal Resources. “InvariMatte®’s low reflectivity makes it an excellent choice for this type of a project. InvariMatte® allows architects and designers to specify the sleek metal finish they desire without concern for maintenance or high levels of reflectivity on sunny days.”
The Fletcher Allen Health Center Renaissance Project is a large-scale renovation and expansion, completed in late 2005, whose major components include an ambulatory care center, new education and conference center, and an underground parking garage. Three specialty care centers of excellence, including a cancer center, heart center, and women’s center, will now be available to patients from a single location. Fletcher Allen is an academic medical center in alliance with the University of Vermont College of Medicine and serves a population of one million in Vermont and northern New York.
InvariMatte® is a non-directional, low gloss, uniformly textured stainless steel finish designed for use in architectural applications. While its lower reflectivity lends itself to roofing applications, it can be applied to wall panels, coping and trim. The superb consistency of this finish results in excellent panel-to-panel matching. Since InvariMatte® has no coatings to deteriorate, it will last indefinitely with little maintenance. InvariMatte® is readily welded or soldered and available in coils and cut lengths up to 288 inches and widths ranging from 0.75 to 49 inches. Because stainless steel is dimensionally stable up to 2000-degrees Fahrenheit, InvariMatte® provides an added measure of protection in the event of a fire. Contrarian Micro Textures offers a 30-year warranty on Grades 304, 304L, 316, and 316L.
Tsoi/Kobus & Associates, Cambridge, MA, and Freeman, French, Freeman, Burlington, VT, served as the project’s architects and Kalkreuth Roofing & Sheet Metal, Wheeling, WV, fabricated and installed the panels.